Man up and say it !
by Sanny-chan
Summary: This story takes place 2 years after the failed wedding, it's my version of what could've happened next Ranma/Akane pairing, of course . COMPLETE !
1. Surprise me

**Neko Hanten, 10:35 P.M**

« Aiyaaaaa », Shampoo squealed, pulling out a small woodbox from one of the drawers of the old buffet her great-grandmother had just received from China. « This probably very old item » she murmured, caressing the engraved Chinese signs, « Shampoo cannot read what written ». She tried to open it with both hands, but it seemed to be locked.

« What have you got there, Shampoo ? » Cologne asked, who had just appeared from behind the stove, holding a broom half-bigger than her in her right hand. Shampoo walked towards her ancestor and handed her the little box.

« Not open », Shampoo said, frowning.

She handed it to her great-grandmother who murmured : « The box only could be sold a little ten thousand yen... » Cologne gave a quick, delicate blow on it, so as to open it without causing too much damage. Inside of it were a pearl necklace, a 100 yen coin and a stack of tickets, all identical, showing a laughing chinese man washing his back with a golden backscratcher.

« That, Shampoo _can_ read » the blue-haired Amazon gloated, then started to read out loud what was written next to the laughing man. When she was finished, a grin had emerged on both her and her great-grandmother's faces.

« Free tickets to go to any springs in China ! You know what that means Shampoo... ». Shampoo's smile grew broader as an image of herself, beautiful in her chinese-style wedding dress, holding Ranma's hand, appeared in her mind.

« Ranma never have to fear Shampoo transforming into cat again... Shampoo whole woman again ! ».

**Uchhan's Okonomiyaki, 4:50 P.M**

« Want another Ranchan, Ranchan ? » Ukyo chuckled, as a giant okonomiyaki suddenly appeared on Ranma's plate, even before he could answer her question.

Akane's heart pounded painfully in her chest, as she noticed Ranma's hungry eyes, and it almost broke her when he eagerly jabbed his fork into the japanese pizza. She had never seen him with that expression on his face when she would serve him her homemade meals. On the contrary, he would always make up a silly excuse in order not to have to taste her cooking.

_Calling her special okonomiyaki "Ranchan" ! Can she get any foolisher ?_ Akane thought, fuming on the inside.

« You're sure you don't want one, Akane-chan ? » Ukyo asked with a smooth voice.

Akane simply shook her head and claimed that she was not hungry at all.

Ranma sniggered : « No wonder you're not hungry, you ate like a sow at lunchtime ».

Akane gave him a nasty look. She wasn't in the mood for joking, her head had been aching since early in the morning. She had had a gymnastics competition the day before, challenging the girls from St-Bacchus high school, and Kodachi's unforgettable laughter was still echoing through her brain.

At this moment, Ryoga entered the restaurant, gasping, holding onto his red umbrella, as if it was a cane.

« Ryoga-kun ! What are you doing here ? I thought you had left on a trip to Okinawa » Akane exclaimed.

Ukyo looked at him with a disappointed face : « I told you to be there on Monday, you're almost one week late » She then disappeared in the kitchen and came back, holding a blue uniform : « Ryoga is going to work for me for a while ».

Ranma almost choked : « _Ryoga_'s gonna work for you ? Why's that ? He can't even cook ramen ».

Ryoga threw his umbrella at Ranma, who easily dodged it : « Shut up, you rude miscreant, all you do is talk nonsense ». He put on the uniform Ukyo was handing him and joined her behind the hot plate. « I need to settle down for a bit. And earning a little money won't hurt ».

Akane smiled : « It's good to see you here. Will you still be in town when my birthday comes up ? ».

Akane didn't notice anything, but Ryoga's cheeks slightly blushed as he answered : « Sure, you can count on me, Akane-san ».

Ranma immediately understood what the lost boy had in mind. He was gonna use the money to buy Akane a present, there was no doubt about it. But what was he gonna get her ? Ranma had thought of getting her something girlish like a dress or a purse, but he knew too well how Akane would always misunderstand his intentions. If he was to buy her this kinda things, she would probably throw them all back at him, thinking he wanted to tell her that she was too much of a tomboy, and should dress more like a girl. No, he definately had better come up with a better idea, and quick, because Akane's birthday happened to be in two weeks...

**On the way to the Tendo House, 5:20 P.M**

« So, Akane... how do you feel about turning 18 ? » Ranma asked, walking on the fence that ran along the street, hands behind his neck.

Akane sighed contently : « It feels nice. Leaving childhood... it's almost like starting a new life... »

She looked at Ranma, who seemed preoccupied : « But you know what it's like, don't you ? You've been there too, last summer... »

Memories of Ranma's 18th birthday appeared in her mind. It had been quite a disppointing day... Akane had only been able to see Ranma late at night, after he'd come back from an arduous training trip with his father, and both were way too wiped out to do anything else but drop dead on their beds afterwards. « My son has become a man... » Genma had asserted before collapsing, dead-tired.

« Guess so... » Ranma answered, also remembering the horrible day his 18th birthday had been. In fact, he had thought of confessing his love to Akane on that day... the last day of his childhood, his last chance to prove that he had become a _man_ and wasn't scared of showing his true feelings anymore... But he hadn't had the chance to spend a single minute with her, his father waking him up at 5 in the morning and dragging him into the deep forrest to teach him the "ultimate Saotome school of Martial Arts' technique". When they'd come back from their trip, he was too damn exhausted to confess anything... And with all the sweat and dirty clothes... Akane deserved better than a disastrous declaration of love.

Ranma cleared his throat : « So uhm... What would you like me to get you ? » It was blunt, but at least he wouldn't have to get all worked up about what was good for a present and what wasn't...

« I don't know... Surprise me » Akane answered, a mysterious smile stretched on her face.

Damn it. He **was** gonna get all worked up.

« Akane-san ! » suddenly shouted a voice that Ranma knew too well.

Ryoga ran to catch up on them, still wearing his blue uniform.

« Hey Ryoga, weren't you supposed to work until 6 ? » Akane queried.

« Ukyo closed after you left. She didn't feel so well... something about P.M.S... guess I'm just gonna go home »

« By the way, where are you gonna crash while you're in Nerima ? » Ranma asked.

« That's a good question ».

Ranma almost fell off the fence.

« You mean... you came here without even knowing where you'd be staying ? »

Ryoga turned crimson as he stammered : « Well, I actually thought that... I mean, if it's not too much trouble... that I could... »

« You can stay at my house as long as you want, Ryoga-kun » Akane offered.

Ryoga sighed with relief : « Thank you very much Akane-san ».

Ranma felt anger's poison run through his veins. Not only did Ryoga take adventage of the situation by sleeping with Akane while in his pig form, but now he was gonna stick around in the Tendo house in his human form too... Ranma felt like he was about to explode. He longed for Akane to realize that Ryoga and P-chan were the same person, but he was loyal, and he took responsability for Ryoga's curse... he would never allow himself to let the information "slip"out of his mouth, even though he enjoyed teasing Ryoga about it.

Once they arrived at the Tendo house, Akane and Kasumi helped Ryoga settle in. Since there was no other room available in the house, he was to sleep with... Ranma and his father.

Ranma warned him on the spot : « You betta not splash any cold water on me while I'm sleeping Ryoga... I know you've been seduced by my female charms, but you betta keep your hands offa me if you don't wanna die »

« Knock it off Ranma, I wouldn't want to touch you even if I was paid for it ».

They had dinner all together, Akane's father not bothered a bit about Ryoga's presence : « The more , the merrier ! ». Then they played shogi.

« Ryoga, you play way better than Ranma » Soun cried out.

« That's right Ryoga-kun, Ranma always ends up broke when we play for money » Nabiki added.

Sick of all the disparagement about himself, Ranma isolated himself in the dojo.

« Dare he try and take my place... » he thought, punching the empty air.

He spent a few minutes fighting against an invisible opponent, when a high-pitched voice interrupted him.

« Nihao Ranma ! »

Shampoo was standing in the door-frame, a smile streteched on her lips. « Shampoo have big surprise for you... ».

« Shampoo what the hell are you doing here ? » Ranma asked, trying not to speak too loud.

The blue-haired Amazon gracefully leapt near Ranma and snuggled against his chest.

« Airen no happy that wife come see him ? » she simpered, snuggling closer.

« Shampoo, I am not your "airen", and you... are so not my wife ! You should go before anyone sees you here or they're gonna think we... »

« Raaaanma !!! »

Ryoga had just come inside the dojo, his fists clenched, his face red with fury. « How can you be doing things with some girl when you are engaged to Akane ?! »

« Ryoga you got it all wrong, Shampoo was just passing by, she was leaving when you... »

« Shut up ! I will punish you for humiliating dear Akane !!! »

**In the meantime**

Akane had just finished taking her bath when she noticed that the lights were still on in the dojo. « Ranma has been in there since dinner... I should go and check on him. »

**Tendo Dojo, 10:45 P.M**

Ryoga and Ranma were looking at each other defiantly.

« You wanted to fight, then fight ! » Ranma cried out.

Ryoga didn't need to be told twice. He jumped on his opponent and threw him against the wall. Ranma was surprised of the strength Ryoga had put in the blow, but quickly came back to his senses and responded by a series of fast-paced punches, that Ryoga managed to dodge.

« Stop it ! » a feminine voice shouted from the door. They both turned around to find Akane in her blue pajamas, standing in the door-frame with an angry look. « What are you two fighting over, at such a late hour ? ».

« That be right, why you two fighting ? Shampoo only come to see Ranma, Ryoga can have Akane »

« And what is **SHE** doing here ?! » Akane exclaimed, looking angrily at Ranma.

Ryoga grasped Ranma's head and forced him down : « Ranma, apologize to Akane »

Ranma freed himself from Ryoga's clasp, caught his arms and held him down with his foot.

« Akane, there's nothing to explain, I have no idea what Shampoo is doing here either »

« Oh yeah, you bet ! » Akane yelled, a fiery glow igniting in her eyes.

Ranma walked to the door : « Look, you guys won't listen to me then just believe whatever you want... »

« I'm not done with you yet !!! Come back here, you coward ! » Ryoga shouted, following Ranma outside.

« Airen wait ! Shampoo not give big surprise yet ! »

Ranma turned around, blasé : « Oh great another surprise, what could it be ? Bewitched mushrooms maybe ? Or could it be a bell haunted by a huge Ghost-Cat, or... a red thread that you're gonna tie around my finger ? Oh no wait, you've already done all those things, surely you must've come up with another way to make me marry you against my will »

Shampoo stood still, her eyes filled with tears : « Ranma no want tickets to cursed springs, then Shampoo offer tickets to Ryoga, _zai jian_ ! »

She leapt over the gate and disappeared in the dark streets.

Ryoga, Akane and Ranma did not move for a while, their brains analyzing what their ears had just heard.

« Did she say... » Akane began.

« Cursed springs ? » Ranma finished off.

They all looked down at Ryoga's right hand, holding a little piece of paper, which was undulating in the soft wind.

Next thing Ryoga knew, the ticket had disappeared from his hand and Ranma was looking closely at it.

« Give it back, you thief ! ».

« C'mon Ryoga, be generous, b'sides, why would **YOU** wanna go to Jusenkyo ? » Ranma snickered.

« That's right Ryoga, what do you want to do at the cursed springs ? » Akane asked, with a curious look.

Ryoga flushed and gave a forced laugh « Well I... I just... ».

Ranma put a hand on his shoulder : « It's okay dude, it's a 2-persons ticket anyway... you wanna see me become a man again don't you ? »

Ryoga had no choice but to approve, despite himself : « Guess I wouldn't miss that »

« Oh Ryoga-kun you're always so nice, it's very sweet of you » Akane praised him, which caused Ranma to regret his generous gesture.

** Later in the night – Ranma's room **

« Damn you Ranma, I could have invited Akane-san to any hot springs in China if you hadn't butted in »

« ...Jeez you're so ungrateful, you should thank me for saving you earlier ! You had no good reason for wanting to go to Jusenkyo, Akane would've found out the truth about you if I hadn't helped you out... »

He thought for a moment, staring at the dark ceiling of the room, then asked : « You'd rather go to some hot springs with Akane than be a full man again ? »

Ryoga sighed contently as he answered : « Spending a moment alone with her (in his human form, he precised) is worth much better than getting back my real body... »

Ranma stayed quiet for a moment and realized that he pretty much felt the same. He had already compared his love for Akane to his desire of getting back his manhood... one was a thousand times stronger than the other... but the problem was, he had somehow convinced himself that he would only have the guts to tell her about his true feelings once he'd be a whole man again. Now that he was about to go to China, the moment when he'd get back his full masculinity was almost tangible, and so was the moment he'd man up and confess to Akane... Maybe he could even be back soon enough to be there when Akane's birthday showed up... « Surprise me » Akane had said. _Well_, thought Ranma, _I think that's gonna be __**quite**__ a surprise..._

He felt a shiver run down his spine. It was now only a few days ahead...


	2. If you're going, I'm going too

**Tendo Dojo, 10:30 A.M**

Akane woke up with a yawn. The morning sun beams were enlightening her room through the half-closed shutters. She glanced at her alarm clock. _Oh ? How come I only woke up now ?... it's pretty late, I should get downstairs before Kasumi assumes I'm sick_. She checked the weather, then quickly slipped into a red summer dress.

When she got downstairs, Kasumi was clearing out the coffee table in the living room. « Akane-chan, are you alright ? You never sleep late »

« Yeah, I'm fine, don't worry » Akane answered, as Kasumi was bringing her a cup of tea.

« Are you hungry ? Do you want to eat something now or would you rather wait until lunchtime ? » her big sister inquired.

« I'm not that hungry now. But hey, where is everyone ? » Akane asked, as she noticed the house was oddly quiet.

« Dad is at the local hot springs with uncle Saotome. Nabiki is in her room. Ranma-kun and his friend Ryoga-kun left early this morning. They said they would be back in a few days, after they'd reverse their curses... »

Akane frowned : « "Their curses", you mean... Ranma's curse ? »

Kasumi put her hand on her cheek and said « Oh, yes, I don't know why I said "their curses" »

Akane stood up and went up to Ranma's room. Many of his things were missing. She went back to her room and lay on her bed. _Damn it ! How could he leave just like that without even telling me ?_

She rolled on the side and heard a rustle under her pillow. _What...? _She rummaged under it and pulled out a small enveloppe. Her heart was pounding faster in her chest as she opened it and started reading the little piece of paper which was inside :

_Akane,_

_I know you probably despise me right now for not telling you that Ryoga and I were leaving for China early this morning. But this is just something I have to do on my own (well, with Ryoga at least) and I know you would've wanted to come with us if I had told you. You would have butted in and put yourself into danger for nothing, as usual. I mean, you're so clumsy and all, you would only manage to get us into trouble for no reason. So, it's better if you just wait home until we come back, alright ? Then I'll be a full man again... and when I'm back, I need to tell you something really important._

_Take care,_

_Ranma._

Akane read the letter over and over again, until she could remember half of it by heart. She felt angry and mad, because of Ranma's mistaken idea of her. If she always "butted in", it was only because she truly cared about her fiancé and was afraid something bad would happen to him. And if she often (always) ended up putting herself into danger, it was only because she wanted to _protect_ Ranma and be harmed in place of him.

She also felt ridiculously excited about the « I need to tell you something really important » part. What on Earth did Ranma have in mind ? Was he finally gonna let her know about his true feelings ? Or better, was he gonna propose to her ? _Nah, that would be too good to be true..._ Akane thought, _he probably just wrote that to make me look like an idiot, thinking that I'd be eagerly waiting for his return... this __**has**__ to be a joke._

Akane slowly got up and put the letter into the first drawer of her desk, still lost in thoughts. That's when she noticed something was sticking out of the row of books on the desk. A white rectangular piece of paper... seemingly, another enveloppe... She pulled it out and opened it, hastily. Her heart missed a beat when she understood who **this** letter was from...

_Dear Akane-san,_

_When you read that letter, Ranma and I will be on our way to Jusenkyo, China. I hope you do not resent me for not telling you that we were leaving so early. I was afraid you would want to come with us and put yourself into danger. _

At that point, Akane stopped reading and thought to herself : _Wow, even Ryoga thinks I'm a burden... When could I have given them that impression though ?_ As if she was answering her own question, flashbacks of the day she had followed them all the way to Jusenkyo appeared in her mind. She sighed deeply and admitted to herself she had really put herself into danger that time... But thanks to Ranma she had gotten by without any serious injuries. Shaking her head to get rid of the memories of what happened later on that day (the messed-up wedding), Akane proceeded with the reading of the letter :

_I hope we will be back before your birthday, because I need to tell you something that I have been holding in for a long time now, and I would like to say it to you on that special day. In the meantime, please take care of yourself._

_Love, Ryoga._

Akane put the letter back in its enveloppe, bewildered._ This is so not happening to me... _the young girl thought, as she imagined what Ryoga could have in mind. _And I, who always thought we were nothing else but friends... _She slowly sat on her bed, shrugged and laughed at herself._ Well, maybe I'm expecting something completely different from what he really wants to tell me... yeah, it's probably something else... I'm sure of it._

But somehow, some part of herself knew she was only trying to **convince** herself it was something else.

**Ucchan's Okonomiyaki, 12:12 P.M**

« What ?! Ryoga left with him ? » Ukyo exclaimed, dropping her giant spatula.

« Yeah... He really wanted to see Ranma become a man again » Akane explained, « after all these years they've kinda become like best friends ».

« I doubt so... » Ukyo murmured, aware about Ryoga's curse.

« What do you mean ? »

« Well you know, they're always fighting... I never thought they could actually ever get along »

The young chef went to the kitchen and came back with a little phone in her hand.

« What... what are you doing ? » Akane queried, giving a curious look at the telephone on which Ukyo was now dialing numbers.

« You said Shampoo gave them that ticket, huh ? Well she probably didn't only have one. Otherwise she wouldn't have given it so easily. »

« Are you... planning on following them to Jusenkyo if you get to obtain a ticket too ? »

« Yeah honey, a little trip once in a while is good for business, besides Ryoga promised he would work for me for at least 2 weeks, no matter what. I'm gonna make him keep his promise... »

Someone answered the phone. « Neko Hanten, how can I help you ? »

Akane could clearly recognize Shampoo's great-grandmother's voice.

« May I speak to miss Shampoo ? » Ukyo asked, with a sweet intonation.

« Shampoo is not here for the moment. She probably won't be back before a couple days. Who is this ? » Cologne inquired.

« A friend of hers. Can you tell me where she has gone and how I can join her ? »

« I am sorry, I cannot help you » the old Amazon said.

Ukyo took her normal – boyish voice again : « Listen old woman, I know Shampoo's off to the cursed springs in China and I know she's got some other tickets to get there. Just tell me where I can find one. Please »

Cologne sighed, stayed quiet for a moment then invited Ukyo to come over.

« One ticket, five thousand yen »

« Perfect » Ukyo smiled « I'll be right there ».

« I'm coming with you » Akane decided all of a sudden.

« Why is that ? »

_I am **so **not gonna let you go and fight over Ranma with Shampoo, _Akane thought. « Shampoo's going, you're going... why wouldn't I be going too ? »

Ukyo smiled and then spoke to the customers : « Everybody out ! Going on a business trip to China ! Will be back in a couple days ! »

Once she closed up the restaurant, she and Akane headed off to the Neko Hanten.


	3. The ultimate fight

**Nerima Harbor, 12:30 P.M**

« Why Mousse follow Shampoo ? » the young Amazon exclaimed as she was getting on the craft that was to take her to her homeland.

« Shampoo ! I can't let you go by yourself, it is my duty to accompagny you wherever you go » Mousse replied, readjusting his glasses on his nose.

« Oh, Shampoo very lucky... » the blue-haired girl sighed.

« ... And once I am a man again, I can officially propose to you ! » the nearsighted boy added, brandishing a triumphant fist.

_I'll make sure that moron won't be coming back to Japan with Ranma and I, _Shampoo thought to herself, as she was checking the outboard motor.

Suddenly, she perceived two moving spots far away, that were seemingly moving in her direction. It took her a couple seconds to realize that the two spots were actually Ukyo and Akane, who were running to reach the harbor.

« Aiya, this no good, better leave before boyish cook and violent girl arrive »

Shampoo hastily sailed away, pretending not to hear them calling out her name. Unfortunately, it was the first time she was using this kind of engine and she was quite clumsy at driving it. She sped up too early and the boat got overturned.

« Shaaaaampooooo !! » Mousse shouted before turning into his cursed form – a white nearsighted duck.

Shampoo emerged from the water in her cat form and swam to reach the pontoon bridge, where Ukyo and Akane were now standing, trying to catch their breath. A yellow teapot found God-knows-where suddenly appeared in Ukyo's hand. The young girl grinned and spoke to the cat « You're gonna have to let us on board if you want to transform back ».

The little animal scowled, but nodded anyway. Ukyo splashed it with the hot water, and Shampoo recovered her initial form : « Why you want to come ? You no have tickets, you no allowed on boat ».

Akane took the little piece of paper out of her pocket and waved it under Shampoo's eyes : « So I guess we should go now ».

The three girls went to get the boat and jumped aboard. Mousse, feeling he was about to be left behind, started quacking for attention. Akane mercifully picked him up and splashed him with the hot water. Ukyo took control of the vehicle and then they were off to China.

**Somewhere in China**

Ranma and Ryoga had been sailing for six hours now, and both were starting to feel desperate, and most importantly, to feel HUNGRY.

« I still can't believe we forgot to bring something to eat » Ranma sighed, as his stomach growled furiously.

« Stop moaning, will you ? All I can think of is the moment I will become again what I truly am »

« Well you already _are _a pig » Ranma laughed, only half-joking.

Ryoga sighed deeply .

« It is funny how I don't even feel like fighting with you anymore. My heart is full of hope and joy, which leaves no room for other feelings. »

« No room for anger ? »

« Exactly »

« No room for resentment ? »

« You got it »

« No room for love ? » Ranma teased.

Ryoga held emotionless eyes as he answered quietly : « I said there was no room for any _**bad**_ feelings »

Ranma suddenly remembered something utterly important. He still hadn't think of anything to give Akane on her birthday. Of course, he was supposedly going to let her know about his true feelings which he never really had, but he wanted to give her something that would prove his love, something really big, something like...

« Wow ! » Ranma exclaimed, as his gaze stopped at the little shiny object Ryoga had just taken out of his pocket. « Is that a... »

« Yes. It's an engagement ring Ranma... »

Ranma hoped for a second that the ring was to be given to Akari, the kind girl who happened to have fallen deeply in love with the pig-boy. But all his hopes vanished as his long-time rival finished his sentence :

« ... for Akane. »

For a moment, Ranma no longer knew he was Ranma, he no longer had that legendary pride of his, he no longer was embarrassed when it came to expressing his feelings. Jealousy reached his soul in a way it never had before and he heard himself say in a voice he didn't even recognize :

« Akane is _**my **_fiancée »

Ryoga slowly turned his head and started laughing.

« Neither of you ever agreed with the engagement, as far as I'm concerned. And Akane-san deserves better than a... »

Ryoga stopped as he noticed Ranma's contorted face.

« Better than a what, Ryoga ? » Ranma urged.

But he didn't let him answer :

« I think she deserves better than a pig that's been sleeping with her for two years now, without her knowing that inside the animal's body were a human male's perverted thoughts »

That assertion caused Ryoga to feel shattered because he realized Ranma wasn't entirely wrong. He _had_ had dishonorable thoughts more than once while sleeping with Akane and it made him feel so guilty and embarrassed that he ended up passing out most of the time. How would Akane react if she came to know that he _was_ P-chan ? She would be hurt, and offended, and he could not bear to look into her eyes ever again.

« I'm not letting you propose to Akane without first telling her what you did to her. She deserves to know the truth, and if you don't tell her, I will » Ranma continued.

Ryoga grinned.

« You know what will happen if you do that... »

Unfortunately, Ranma knew very well what would happen if he happened to be the one who told Akane. He knew she would never forgive him for letting another man sleep with her.

« I should have told her right away... » Ranma regretted, « ...but I will take the risk anyway, even if it means losing her... » he added, his heart tightening in his chest, « ...this has lasted too long ».

« Then I guess I will have to force you to keep your mouth shut » Ryoga proclaimed, preparing to fight.

_This is it, _Ranma thought,_ this is probably gonna be our last fight... ever. I won't let him out of this one unless he accepts to man up and go tell Akane the truth. Unfortunately, that won't get me off the hook. Akane will ask me if I knew from the beginning who really was her pet pig and I will have to tell her the truth. And I don't even have a good reason for covering up for him in the first place..._

In the beginning, he had somehow took pity on the pig-boy, always wanting to believe Ryoga had but a tiny bit of kindness of heart ; but in the end, Ryoga had never shown himself worthy of this trust, betraying him as soon as he got what he wanted. Ryoga had never been a friend to him, and he never would be...


	4. Make your choice !

First of all let me thank you for your reviews, it's so good to read them and know what you think of my story. I've got a new computer so I'll update more often from now on. Keep reading and reviewing, here comes chapter 4 !

**Qinghai Province – China, 6:25 P.M**

« We finally made it ! » Akane said as Ukyo, Shampoo, Mousse and herself got off the craft.

They had been sailing for quite a few hours, but thanks to Mousse's curse which allowed him to fly and lead the boat and Ukyo's driving skills, they had arrived way earlier than expected.

Akane felt a shiver run down her spine as her feet touched the ground. Almost two years ago, she had been there, she had almost _died_ there. Her dark thoughts were interrupted by Shampoo's high-pitched voice. She was being harsh on Mousse, as usual :

« Mousse take bags out of boat and carry for Shampoo ! »

« What Shampoo wants, Shampoo gets ! » the poor guy exclaimed, already gasping.

Akane glanced at the woods that were surrounding them._ Now where could Ranma and Ryoga be...?_ she wondered. The cursed springs of Jusenkyo were all the way up the big mountains that were about sixty miles away, right in front of them. It would take them another whole day to get there.

But now was the time for a little break.

Ukyo started humming as she took her cooking ustensils out of her bag and her giant spatula down her back. « So who's hungry ? »

**Near Qinghai – China**

« Eat this ! » Ryoga shouted as he spun yellow bandanas as fast as he could and threw them at Ranma, who jumped to dodge them.

« Is that all you got, pig-boy ? » Ranma teased him, preparing for the next blow.

The two martial artists had been fighting for nearly three hours, both of them taking the lead of the fight at one point. It was Ranma's turn now, who knew from experience (with Akane, among other things) that it was easier to dodge an opponent's blows by getting them mad first, because it made them clumsy and bumbling.

« Why would Akane ever wanna marry a porc chop ? » he continued.

He wondered if he could get Ryoga mad enough to draw him into the imaginary spiral that was needed to use one of his best-mastered techniques, the "Hiryuu Shoten Ha", also called the "Flying Dragon Ascension Wave". He could feel Ryoga's battle aura grow by the minute. Unfortunately, he had used this handy technique too many times for Ryoga not to notice he intended to use it once again. The pig-boy grinned, and managed to calm his anger down.

« I know too well what you're trying to do, Ranma » he said, as his battle aura got smaller and smaller around him. « But this it not going to work. You can say anything you want, it will not affect me »

_Crap_, thought Ranma, _gonna have to find another way to... another way to do what exactly ? I'm not really trying to __**kill**__ him... am I ?_

Before starting to fight, they had both agreed to fight as men, thus not to try and do anything to make their rival change into their cursed form. However, Ranma knew this fight would probably never end, both of them being pretty much as skilled as the other, (even though he hardly admitted it to himself). Ryoga might be the strongest, but Ranma was the fastest, and he knew how to get his opponents easily strained by hedging a lot of their attacks. Now if Ryoga turned into P-chan, it would all be over...

Before he understood what was happening, Ryoga saw Ranma jump into the water, and felt the boat being pushed at the bottom. « What the... what the hell are you doing ?! » He tried to rebalance the craft, but Ranma kept hitting the boat harder and harder.

« Raaaaanmaaaaaaa ! » Ryoga shouted as the boat finally got overturned. He disappeared under the body of the boat and reappeared a few seconds later, squealing like the piglet he had become.

Ranma had transformed into the busty redhead so many men were crazy in love with. He shrugged : « Sorry man, couldn't do otherwise »

The piglet hoisted himself to the top of the overturned-boat and carried on squeaking.

« Shut up already, you know I don't speak piglish ! » Ranma yelled. Suddenly, his eyes grew wider. « Check this out » he said, pointing over Ryoga's head.

The little pig gave one more angry squeal before turning around. From were they were, they could perceive a tiny, tiny mountaintop... Mount Kensei !

Ranma smiled. They had actually made it to China.

**Qinghai – China, 8:15 P.M**

It took Shampoo, Ukyo, Mousse and Akane a bit longer than expected to get to the Uma Ryokan (the inn that Shampoo's maternal great-grandmother owned), because of the terrible weather. When they had set foot in China, it was just a bit of wind, and a little rain. But by they time they got to the inn, it was litterally pouring outside, and the wind was blowing so hard they actually struggled to get _inside_ the inn. Spray, Shampoo's great-grandmother served them some tea, and they booked four rooms for the night. They were in luck, because the Uma Ryokan only offered four vacant rooms anyway.

« How come you only have four rooms available for customers ? » Akane wanted to know.

« Not many people come around here » Spray answered in perfect Japanese, « we usually only get three to four customers a week »

An half-hour later, they were all gathered together in the dining room, eating chinese noodles. Akane wasn't hungry. Anxiety usually made her lose all interest in food. She just couldn't help but worry about Ranma and Ryoga, she kept wondering where they were, if they were safe... and she wanted to ask them about the _letters_... Instinctively, she slightly moved her hands in her sweater's pockets, and her heart skipped a beat as her fingers came into contact with the two crumbled pieces of paper. She needed to feel them, especially the one in her left pocket, _Ranma's one_. It was the only way she managed to believe he had actually written her a letter. She simply couldn't picture him sitting down with a pen between his fingers, thinking about what he was gonna write to _her_.

Feeling that she wouldn't be able to swallow anything tonight, she excused herself and went to her room. It was a cozy little room with a double bed, a wardrobe and a dressing table. She took a quick shower, then slipped into her dressing gown and creeped into the bed. The tempest was still going on outside, but she fell asleep pretty easily, exhausted after such a tiring day.

**--**

About an hour later, Akane was awoken by loud footsteps and splashing-water noises coming from downstairs. She quickly glanced at her watch and pricked up her ears.

A man said something, but Akane didn't hear well.

« No more vacant rooms for tonight sir, sorry » Shampoo's great-grandmother responded to the man.

« Come on, you can't just leave us outside in the rain ! » another man yelled.

Akane frowned. That voice sounded familiar. Very, _very_ familiar...

_Oh, god._

The young girl leapt out of her bed and hurried downstairs, forgetting that she was only wearing a nightie.

« Ranma ! » she shouted.

**--**

**Ranma's POV**

_I raise my eyes to meet the gaze of the girl who just called out my name and I see... _

_AKANE ?! _

_Now what in the world is Akane doing here ?...And why the heck is she wearing a sexy nightgown ?! _

_Wait, wait, wait, that can't be possible. I must be so exhausted that my brain's playing tricks on me. Akane, in China ? I almost wanna laugh at my own stupidity, but instead, I close my eyes and open them again. _

_Crap. _

_My hallucination is still there, standing on the stairs, staring at me. _

_And she's still wearing that sexy nightgown._

_I turn to the left and notice that Ryoga is also staring at my hallucination. Wait, is that even possible ? The guy looks like he's just seen an angel. Damn... is that a tear on his cheek ?_

_I turn back to look at Akane, and I think I see her smiling. Oh no, now she's frowning..._

« Ranma no baka ! » _she says, hands on her hips_ « you should have told me you were going back to China ! »

_...What did she just call me ? _

« Why are you looking at me like that ? » _she asks_.

« A... Akane is that really you ? »

_Yup, that's all I managed to actually say. Akane looks like she's about to explode._

« Of course it's me ! »

_I must still be staring at her cuz she crosses her arms around her, looking self-conscious._

_I feel like my brain's gone out of my head for a little trip on its own. _

_Akane's in China._

_Akane's right in front of me. _

_And I wrote her a letter._

_**Crap !**_

_I'm about to ask her what she's doing here when three of my recurrent nightmares appear up the staircase._

_Shampoo, Ukyo, and... Mousse (?!) are looking at me. Both of the girls cry out my name at the same moment and then look at each other, defiantly. Oh man, I have an idea on what's gonna happen next. _

_Shampoo's the quickest, she leaps down the stairs, and next thing I know she's snuggling against my chest._

« Shampoo miss Airen very very much »

_God I'd almost forgotten how annoying her voice was._

_I wanna tell her to get off me when Ukyo runs down the stairs and actually __**kisses me on the cheek**__. How am I supposed to react to that ? Instinctively, I look back at the staircase to look at Akane. But she's not there anymore. _

_**What the heck is that all about ?!**_

**--**

Akane got back to her room in a fury. She stormed back out of it a minute later, holding a bucket of water. Down the stairs, everyone was talking at the same time. Shampoo and Ukyo were still all over Ranma, who was trying to free himself from their embrace. _**Not trying hard enough**_, Akane thought angrily, throwing the bucket at him.

« What the... » Ranma began.

SPLASH !!

« Akane, you dummy ! What did you do that for ?! » female Ranma shouted.

« Just wanted to help » Akane answered innocently.

Shampoo had been splashed by the water too. She jumped on Ranma's chest and started meowing.

« C...C...Ca... Caaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat !! » Ranma shrieked.

He started running through the inn, screaming, until Ukyo threw some hot water at them.

« Thanks, Ucchan » male Ranma said, gasping.

Akane's heart tightened, but she didn't say anything.

**--**

After arguing for half an hour about who was supposed to be here and who wasn't, Spray finally agreed that they stayed at the inn for the night. But that meant that four of them were gonna have to pair off.

Ryoga grabbed Ranma's shoulder and whispered in his ear :

« I know **you** do not care about such things, but **I **can't sleep with a girl, it is not an honorable thing to do. But be aware that I will not tolerate you and Akane-san to sleep in the same room, so be careful who you choose to sleep with »

He then turned to the old woman, and announced : « I shall share my friend Mousse's room »

Mousse turned pale : « What ?! I'm sleeping with my Shampoo, we're fianc... »

« Are not ! » Shampoo yelled, grabbing Ranma's arm and squeezing it « Shampoo sleeping with Airen »

« I'm not sleeping with anyone here » Ranma said, when he saw Akane's menacing look.

« Of course you are, Ranchan, you're sleeping with me ! We're childhood friends, it's not like we've never slept in the same room ;) and besides, you can't just go and sleep outside in the rain »

« I'll find another place » he replied.

« Why don't you just choose someone ? » Akane suddenly asked.

« A... Akane »

Shampoo and Ukyo chuckled, overjoyed about the way things were turning out. It was so rare that Akane dared Ranma to make a choice !

But she had to know. She had to know if he would choose _her_ out of his three fiancées... or not.

Ranma looked as if he was paralysed. His face was pale, his eyes were bright. His glance kept moving from one fiancée to another, who were all eagerly awaiting his response.

He had to make a decision, and he knew that whatever he would end up saying, it would _**so**_ not get him off the hook...


	5. Jusenkyo, here we come

Hey, you greedy readers ! Here's chapter 5, and I'm sorry for the cliffhangers at the end of my chapters, I just can't do without'em ! :p

Please review if you like my story, and if you have time, let me know what part of the chapter you've just read was your favorite (or what line, or whatever, just review ! :)

It might seem like an odd story but I know where I'm going, so don't worry !

Now on with the story...

**Ranma's POV**

_OKAY. _

_This is **not **happening to me._

_I came here thinking I'd be leaving all my daily problems behind – well at least for a couple days. By problems, I mean : my so-called fiancées, Pops and school (heh). Nerima's crazyness, in short. But here I am, facing three of my "fiancées", and I have to choose which one I'm going to spend the night with. I try to breathe normally and consider my options :_

_Shampoo's purple eyes are menacing. Sleeping with her is **definately** not an option, she would jump on me and try to molest me as soon as I get in her room. _

_Ukyo's grey eyes are gleaming. We might already have spent the night together, but we were kids, it didn't count. If I agree to sleep with her she'll think I'm in love with her, and I don't wanna play with her feelings._

_Akane's dark brown eyes are... worried. I must admit, she's the only one I actually feel like sleeping with. After all, we're engaged, and it's not like we've never slept in the same room... But something tells me that I'd better avoid a confrontation with her right now. And I'm not even sure whether she wants me to choose her, or if she just wants to test me to see how "perverted" I am. Besides, I don't wanna have to explain her about the letter, and I know that if we happen to find ourselves alone in the same room, she'll grill me about it until I spit it out. _

_But I'm not ready, **damn it** ! I was supposed to reverse my curse first. I **can't** tell her yet !_

_Shampoo sighs. They're getting impatient. They want an answer. _

_Suddenly, I know what to do. It's so ovbious I wonder why I didn't think about it before. _

**--**

**Akane's POV**

_Ranma looks as if he's about to throw up._

_Is it so hard to pick someone ? What if he really liked Shampoo orUkyo more than me ? My heart tightens as I try to push these painful thoughts away. _

_Suddenly, I think I see him wink at me, but it all happens so fast I can't even tell if it's just my imagination. A second later, Ranma's vanished from our sight. _

_The front door slams. _

_We all need three more seconds to realize that Ranma, yet **once again **ran away from his responsabilities. _

_« Aiya ! Airen get cold out in dark, Shampoo go get Airen » the blue-haired bimbo squeals._

_« No way you little tramp ! **I'm** going to go and bring him back ! » Ukyo yells, as the two of them rush to the door._

_But Shampoo's ancestor is the quickest, and locks the door before they can reach it._

_« I cannot let you out now. Too dangerous, don't want to be responsible for anything that could happen to you out there. Just go back to your rooms and get some sleep. I'm certain your friend will come back, and too bad for him, he'll have to sleep in the cellar »_

_Shampoo lets out a « hmph ! » of frustration and we all resolve to obey the old woman._

_Once in my room, I let out the tears I managed to hold back earlier. Ranma, that idiot ! Couldn't he just pick one of us ? Couldn't he just pick me ?! I never thought I'd ever cry for a boy, let alone for a **jerk** like Ranma but I can't help it, the tears come out and the pain in my heart deepens._

_After a while though, I get sleepy. It's always easier to fall asleep after a good cry. _

_I'm half-sleeping when I hear something knock against the window. As I think it's just the wind that makes the tree-branches waggle, I roll over in my bed, and try to go back to sleep. _

_**Knock Knock !**_

_My eyes open again._

_**Knock Knock Knock Knock ! **_

_« What in the world... ? » I whisper, covering up a yawn._

_I get up, stagger to the window, and open it. It's too dark to see anything, and the wind is blowing like hell, but I think I perceive a tiny silhouette down there. _

_« Who is this ? » I ask, shivering._

_« Akane ! It's me ! Let me in ! » says female Ranma._

_« R... Ranma ! What are you doing here ? »_

_« I wasn't gonna sleep outside ! »_

_« Well, I thought you'd gone to find another place to spend the night at ! »_

_« What, you didn't see my wink ? »_

_« Uhm, yeah, but you just left without... »_

_« Just let me in, 'Kane ! It's freezing out here »_

_And with these words, Ranma climbs up the closest tree to the window and gracefully leaps into my room. He's dripping wet._

_« You got a towel for me ? » he asks, quivering._

_I run to the bathroom, grab the first towel I see and throw it to him._

_« How did you know I was in this room ? »_

_« I didn't. Just guessed. »_

_« Oh cut it out, Ranma »_

_« Okay, okay. I went all around the inn – under the pouring rain - to see which room you were in »_

_My face reddens in spite of myself. Has he seen me crying ?_

_« You've been spying on me you jerk ! » I shout, picking up my mallet._

_Ranma steps back, startled. « Damn it Akane, do you have to carry that thing everywhere you go ?! »_

_He grabs my arm to hold back the blow. Even as a girl, I must admit Ranma is still stronger than me. I try to pull my arm free of his grasp, but he won't let go. I notice that his hand is warm, even though he said it was freezing outside. _

_« Akane, what's wrong ? Are you upset or something ? »_

_He finally releases my arm._

_« Hmph ! » I say, walking back to my bed. « Why did you run away anyway ? »_

_Ranma walk towards me and sits on the bed. Water drops are leaking from his female-form red hair._

_« I don't know. Too much pressure for a guy » he simply answered._

_« Then why did you come back ? »_

_« It's not like I wanted to sleep outside you know ! And I knew it'd be okay with you if I came back to sleep in your room, it's just safer if nobody knows about it »_

_« Who said I was okay with it ?! You didn't even ask ! » I yell, pretending to be upset, when I'm actually leaping with joy on the inside._

_« Oh come on, it's not like we've never slept in the same room before » he says, and I remember how we once had to pretend we were already married and both sleep in my room._

_I look away, pretending to hesitate._

_« Please » he says, putting on his famous "I'm a cute little puppy" face. He knows I can't resist. _

_« Alright... But for God's sake go take a shower, the bed's drenched now ! »_

**--**

Ten minutes later, male Ranma went out of the bathroom, and searched through his bag for his pajamas. Akane was already in bed, still awake. She was turned to the left, and the bathroom was on the right side of the room, thereby she couldn't see what Ranma was doing, but only hear him. He probably thought she was asleep, because he was being extremely silent.

She heard him go back to the bathroom. Her head turned to the right in spite of herself, and she caught a glimpse of her fiancé, in front of the mirror, brushing his teeth. He was only wearing a white towel around his waist. A sensation of warmth spread through the young girl's whole body, especially her face, her belly, and below her belly...

She turned her head back to the left right away, ashamed of the thoughts that had crossed her mind for a second.

And then it occurred to her. She hadn't yet questioned him about the letter !

Her heart started throbbing wildly as she wondered if it was worth asking him about it tonight, or if it would be better to wait for tomorrow. A hundred questions bustled in her head : _Do I really wanna know, and take the risk to be disappointed ?_ _Is the letter really about what I think it is ?_ _Is he willing to... confess to me ? If that's really what it is, wouldn't he have done it by now ? _

A little voice in her head immediately replied to her last question : _Well, he **did **choose me out of his three "fiancées" to spend the night with... I guess I'm gonna have to settle for this... for now._

She sighed deeply, and made a huge effort to keep her curiosity down. She wouldn't say anything about it before he did... or at least not before tomorrow !

**--**

In the bathroom, Ranma was slipping into his pajamas. He slowly went back in the room, trying to find out if Akane was asleep.

She was.

Well at least that's what he thought when he noticed her shut eyes, and her chest slowly moving up and down. The purple blanket wasn't entirely pulled up, and Ranma was amazed by the way her creamy skin reflected the pale moonlight. She seemed so peaceful, so... kind. _Why does she always have to hit me ? _Ranma wondered, as he creeped into the bed. Both of their bodies were turned to the center of the bed. _It's the first time I can really look at her,_ Ranma realized, as his gaze lingered on her serene face. Her lips were red, and seemed so soft, so... kissable._ How could I ever let the pig-boy sleep with her ?_

He had never noticed how long, and thick her eyelashes were. Her eyelids were slightly moving... And all of a sudden, her dark eyes opened wide. By reflex, Ranma immediately shut his, afraid that she would find out he was staring at her while she was sleeping.

« Uhm, Ranma... » she whispered.

Ranma slowly opened his eyes. « Yeah... ? »

« Aren't you forgetting something ? »

« Huh ? »

And then it occured to him.

« Oh crap ! I'm sorry Akane I completely forgot I was... »

« What did you have in mind... you **pervert** ! »

She grabbed the bottle of water on her bedside table and poured it down on Ranma's face, whose features immediately changed to become those of a woman.

« Geez, right in the face... thanks 'Kane »

« Hmph ! » the young girl replied, rolling over in the bed.

**Uma Ryokan - Akane's room, 6:15 A.M**

Akane was awoken by the noise of the window being shut down. She opened her eyes, startled. It took her a half-second to remember where she was, and what had happened last night. She rushed to the window, but Ranma had already disappeared through the trees and bushes.

_That idiot didn't even wake me !_ Akane thought, disappointed. _It was my chance to ask him about the letter and now he's gone... _

But two hours later, Ranma came back, as the rest of the group was having their breakfast.

« Ranchan ! Where have you been ? I bet you're starving ! » Ukyo asked, walking up to him and feeding him with an okonomiyaki.

« Spent the night at the Inu Hanten, a few miles away from here » Ranma explained.

« Poor Airen sleeped all alone, Shampoo here now »

« The Inu Hanten, huh ? » Ryoga asked, suspicious.

Ranma simply nodded, but glanced at Akane, slightly grinning.

« So... are you guys gonna stay here and enjoy your breakfast or get started with the hike ? »

**--**

The weather was good, on that day. It even got hot in the afternoon. The usual incidents happened during the hike : Shampoo and Ukyo kept arguing about who should make Ranma's lunch, Akane got upset because he ended up eating both of their lunches, Ryoga kept blushing everytime Akane would even look at him, and Mousse tried everything he could to bring Akane and Ranma together.

« Don't you think Akane-san look hot, in her tight white shorts ? » he said to Ranma, when they were having a break.

Ranma had to control himself not to burst into laughter. The words "hot" and "tight shorts" sounded hilarious when pronounced by a guy like Mousse.

« Oy Mousse, aren't you supposed to be checking out Shampoo, instead of the uncute tomboy ? »

Ranma couldn't help it. Everytime he said something about Akane, the words "uncute" and "tomboy" always came out first, especially when he knew she was close enough to hear him.

Though she really _**did**_ look hot in those shorts. How could he have ever told her she was fat ?

**-- **

At about six in the evening, lightnings started striping the sky, and the wind started blowing hard, just like the day before.

« It's gonna rain any minute » Ranma announced.

Ryoga immediately opened out his umbrella. _What would you do without your umbrella, huh, pigboy ?_ Ranma thought.

« What to do ? Shampoo no want to be cat now, paws too too delicate to walk here » the Amazon whined.

« We can walk back and take the pass through the mountain range, and then get into the caves. It'll take a bit more time but it'll lead us to the springs » Mousse said.

As he finished his sentence, the rain started pouring down.

« Kso... » Ranma grumbled, as he transformed into his female form. « Ok, let's hurry to the pass »

They rushed down the slope and sheltered under a tree for a few minutes, hoping that the rain would stop. But it didn't. So they kept going down and down, to finally reach the mouth of a grotto.

« Alright, let's get in there » Ranma said, and they all stepped into the dark cave.

A signboard was hanging on a branch, right next to the mouth of the cave. It was covered in rust, and almost all the painting on it had faded, but if one moved closer to it, one could read :

**BEWARE !**

**DANGER OF CRUMBLING**

**TURN BACK AT FIRST SIGN OF BAD WEATHER**

But none of them paid attention to it.

...

That's it for chapter 5 ! Hope you liked it and will post a review !!

A few hints on what's gonna happen next :

Akane will finally discover Ryoga's curse. How's she gonna take it ?

An important "Rakane" moment ahead. Did someone say, "letter" ?!

A marriage proposal is made, but by whom ?

Stay tuned...


	6. Now or Never

_First I wanna thank JDCOCOAGIRL, you're the only one who actually reviews on each one of my chapters _

_It makes me really happy to read them so keep going, and thanx !_

_To SUSU : thanks :) to tell you the truth, it's just crazy how the story writes itself, so I have no idea if my story is original or if I'll put anything « out of order » in it ! I can almost say that I have no power on what I'm writing ! _

_And yeah, « Spray » is a name I invented, hehe, I hesitated with a lot of other products hah, and did I mention that her husband's name is Wax ? _

_To TWILI : thank you ! The proposal is not Mousse to Shampoo, it's by one of the two other guys, but just keep reading to find out ;)_

_I also wanna say that it took me pretty much 3 weeks (or 4?) to get this chapter done, I wrote 3 different versions, but I kept changing my mind on how Akane should discover Ryoga's curse. Veeerry difficult matter... But you'll see for yourselves._

**Near Jusenkyo, China**

Even though they were deep in the cave, Ranma, Akane, Ryoga, Ukyo, Shampoo and Mousse could still hear the raging wind outside. Sometimes, the rocky walls would shake, and bits would fall off. They walked in the cave for about an hour before being faced with an important dilemna. In front of them were two dark mouths. No indication, no sign whatsoever helped them decide which path to follow.

« It's so dark... how are we gonna know which way to go ? » Akane whispered, shivering.

« Don't worry Akane-san, I will not let you get lost » Ryoga answered.

« Yeah, cuz you'll lose yourself first » Ranma sniggered.

« Let us penetrate in the tunnel on the right, I feel it's the good way » the lost-boy declared, ignoring his rival's wisecrack.

« Ookaaaay. Guys, left tunnel's the good one » Ranma said.

« How about we flip a coin ? » Mousse proposed.

Silence.

« Has anyone got a coin ? »

They all shook their heads.

« Shampoo go with Airen »

« Stop gluing yourself to him, you hussy ! » Ukyo shouted, jumping on Ranma.

The three of them fell down on the ground.

« Argh ! get off me, I'm not a freakin' toy ! » Ranma grunted.

« Here we go again... » Akane sighed, and then took Ryoga by the arm « C'mon Ryoga-kun, let's go »

« H...Hey wait ! » Ranma yelled.

But they had already stepped into the dark tunnel on the right.

« Kawaiikune...! » _Why does she always have to take his side anyway ?_

**--**

Ryoga thought he was in heaven.

Akane and him were in a dark tunnel, alone.

Akane was holding his arm.

Could this be the moment he had been waiting forever ? Would he be brave enough to confess his love ?

_It is now or never_, he thought, feeling the ring in his pocket, _I will probably not get a chance like that again._

Taking a deep breath, he put his hands on Akane's shoulders.

« Akane-san, there is something I must tell you » he declared, eyes closed.

« Alright Ryoga-kun... What is it ? »

He opened his eyes. Akane was looking at him, an angelic smile stretched on her lips.

« I... I... I l-l-lo... »

« Ryoga-kun, are you alright ? You look pale »

« AAAARRGGGHHH !! I can't do this ! » Ryoga cried out, kneeling down.

« Come on, Ryoga-kun ! You can tell me anything, we're friends ! » the young girl laughed.

And oh, how her laugh was sweet and innocent. It echoed off the walls of the narrow tunnel.

« Akane-san, » he began.

His hands shaking, he took out the ring from his pocket. It was a little silver ring, with a heart-shaped blue topaz on it.

Obviously not one of the most expensive ones, but one of the prettiest ones.

Akane's face turned pale.

Ryoga took a deep breath.

« Akane-san, will you m-m-m-ma... »

« Oy Akane ! » Ranma's voice suddenly called as he appeared at the entrance of the tunnel. « You could have waited for us, you dummy ! »

He was soon followed by the rest of the group.

« I...I... Uhm, yeah, sorry » was all Akane managed to say.

Her face was still white from the shock, her mind blocking on the sight of the little silver ring, which Ryoga had hidden back in his pocket.

Ranma frowned. « You okay ? You look like you've just seen a ghost »

« I'm fine » she assured him. « Ryoga and I just saw... bats ! They were scary »

« Tsssah, you get scared too easily » Ranma scoffed. « Shall we keep moving or do you want me to hold your hand while we walk ? »

He regretted that last bit of his sentence as soon as the words passed his lips. « I mean... it's not like I'd wanna hold your hand or anything... »

« I got it Ranma » Akane quietly said, and then : « Yeah, let's move on »

_She's not her usual self_, Ranma noticed right away. Under normal circumstances, she would have gotten all defensive and called him a jerk, but it was just like... she had more important things to think about.

**--**

_Did he really... propose to me ?_ Akane thought as the group was stepping forward into the tunnel. _Well, "attempted to" would be a better way to describe it_, she corrected herself. She then noticed that Ranma was staring at her.

He looked away as soon as she turned her head towards him. _He knows something happened..._ she thought, wondering if he was getting jealous.

Ryoga had kept silent since the "incident". More than ever, he wanted to tear Ranma apart for interrupting them in such an important moment. Once again, the lout had found a way to keep Ryoga from fulfilling his destiny, which was to be with Akane, forever, and ever, and ever...

Why he had hidden the ring, he didn't really know. At first, it had just been a reflex, but he had realized that if Ranma had seen him propose to Akane, he would have forced him to tell her about his most painful secret. _Akane must never know_, the lost boy decided, _I will propose again when I am a whole man, and there will be no obstacles then._

What he unfortunately didn't know was that it wouldn't be too long before Akane discovered the **truth**...

Ranma suddenly stopped walking. « Did you feel that ? » he whispered.

The others stopped walking as well, and tried to "feel" what Ranma was talking about.

« Felt what ? » Akane asked, impatient.

« Shhh... »

They heard a long, soft, burbling sound. Just like the sound of boiling water.

The walls started to tremble.

« What's going on... ? » Akane muttered.

All around them, rocks started to fall off the walls of the tunnel.

« A crumbling... » Ryoga murmured, as the burbling grew louder and louder.

« No... it's worse than that » Ranma replied. « It's a flood ».

And all of a sudden, a stream of water poured forth, engulfing them one after another.

« RANMAAAAAAAA !! » Akane screamed, as she struggled to keep her head out of the water.

« AKANE !! » Ranma screamed back, desperately trying to swim towards her.

But Akane saw her fiancé and the others disappear, carried away by the powerful stream.

The water seemed to draw her towards the bottom and she started to lack air. She wanted to scream again but only managed to swallow a gulp of water. _I'm gonna drown... _she thought in terror.

As panic was overwhelming her, she suddenly felt something pull her back to the surface. Oh how it was good to be able to breathe again ! She started coughing and spitting the water that had made its way to her lungs. She turned her head to try and catch a glimpse of who, or rather _what_ was pulling her and keeping her afloat but she only managed to see a piece of yellow cloth and dark hair. It was small, and its teeth were biting her collar so as to keep her head above the water.

« P-chan... ! » she exclaimed, and started coughing again.

They too were carried away by the stream, and Akane lost consciousness before they were out of the cave.

**--**

**Akane's POV**

_« ...think she's gonna be fine now... »_

_« ...where did all the water come from ?... »_

_« ...happens when too too much rain...springs overflow and get mix up... » _

_« ...sumthing like that happened last time we were here too... »_

_The voices seem to be coming from far, far away, but they slowly grow louder in my ears, until I have the impression that my head is about to explode. Before I know it, water comes up my throat, and my chest starts shaking in spite of myself until I cough it all out. I open my eyes, but the sunlight dazzles me and I have to shut them again. _

_« ...what's going on...? » I mumble._

_« You almost drowned, that's what's going on » Ranma's voice replies._

_When I open my eyes again, I can see six pairs of eyes staring at me. I recognize the Jusenkyo Guide next to Ranma. _

_« Did we make it ? Did we make it to the springs ? » I ask, getting up._

_As soon as I get up, my head starts spinning and my legs seem too weak to bear my body._

_« Wow, stay sit » Ranma orders, catching me before I fall down. « Yeah, we've just arrived here. We had to carry you all the way up here since you passed out »_

_Everything that has happened earlier suddenly resurfaces in my mind. Ryoga's proposal when we were alone in the tunnel, the water surprising all of us and almost drowning me. _

_« Where's P-chan ? » _

_« P-chan's not here, honey » Ukyo answers, gently patting me on the shoulder._

_« I saw him. He pulled me up when I was drowning, he saved my life »_

_I glance at each one of them, waiting for an answer. Why do they all look so embarrassed ? Ryoga's face has turned crimson and he won't seem to return my gaze. Ranma scratches his neck nervously. The other ones just pretend they haven't heard me. _

_And all of a sudden, it strikes me. _

_What if something's happened to him ? What if he's injured or even... **dead** ?_

_« Look... I want to know the truth » I begin, closing my eyes as if to protect myself from what they're about to tell me._

_« You... you do ? » Ranma asks, puzzled._

_« Yeah... I can tell something's wrong from the look on your faces »_

_« Akane-san... » Ryoga begins, looking down._

_« Please. Just say it once and for all... It's gonna hurt... isn't it ? »_

_Ranma gives me a look I have trouble identifying. It's a mix between pain, pity and guilt. _

_That's all I need to understand that it **is** gonna hurt. _

_I can feel my heart throbbing in my temples. « Guys... please. I need to know » _

_Ryoga opens his mouth to say something, but closes it right away._

**--**

Suddenly, and before anyone could stop her, Shampoo poured her water bottle down on Hibiki Ryoga. The latter immediately changed into his cursed form.

P-chan.

« Here. Ryoga, P-chan. P-chan, Ryoga. Same person. Now Akane know ! » the blue-haired Amazon exulted.

Akane changed too. Surprise, astonishment, disbelief, and, finally, pain twisted her face.

« That's not... that's... impossible »

She felt her own legs go numb and bend in spite of her.

All sorts of thoughts overwhelmed her mind at once, as if they had been sleeping there the whole time, and had awoken at last. Her brain had finally made the right connections between Ryoga and her long time petpig : the bandanna, the fangs, how P-chan always seemed to loathe Ranma, how it never wanted to be washed, how it kept vanishing and reappearing without warning.

« P-chan... » she whispered, looking at him entreatingly, as if to convince herself it was all a lie. But now that she knew the truth, she didn't see her beloved petpig anymore, she saw only the one that had betrayed her.

Ryoga in his pig form was unable to hold her gaze. He closed his eyes, uttered a little squeal and ran away.

Tears filled up Akane's eyes as she realized all the things that this discovery meant. It meant that she had slept with a man, for more than two years, without knowing it. It meant that the person she thought was the most genuine in the world had betrayed her, it meant that she had been fooled by almost everyone close to her.

Instinctively, she lifted up her head to meet Ranma's gaze. He was the person she trusted most, the person she cared the most about. He should have been the one to stop this from happening, he should have been the one to tell her right away, he should have been the one to...

But Ranma didn't look back. And for good reason, he was looking at his shoes, avoiding eye contact with her.

It hurt Akane so deeply she gasped in pain, as if she had just been stabbed right in the heart.

Ranma had known, but had kept it a secret from her.

He had let someone else sleep with her.

He hadn't even tried and stopped it.

**Ranma had not cared.**

**Ranma's POV**

_Next thing I know when I raise my eyes again, Akane's vanished. She's running towards the forest, and I start running after her. _

_« Akaneeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee !! »_

_Damn, that girl can run fast when she wants to. As I'm about to catch up with her, I try not to think about what has just happened. But my brain just won't obey me. A single sentence keeps repeating itself over and over in my head. _

_Akane knows about Ryoga. Akane knows about Ryoga. Akane knows about Ryoga. Akane knows about Ryoga. Akane knows about Ryoga. Akane knows about Ryoga. Akane knows about Ryoga._

_Why doesn't it feel as good as I thought it would ? _

_Because Akane's hurt. _

_So many times I've imagined how Akane would discover Ryoga's curse. Never once I imagined she would learn it of Shampoo._

_We keep running for a few more seconds before I manage to catch her arm._

_She slows down, then stops. But she doesn't turn around to look at me. She doesn't even try and pull her arm free of my grasp. I can hear her sobbing and I suddenly feel like holding her in my arms. _

_I also feel like punching myself hard in the face for making her cry._

_« Do... do you hate me ? » I ask, even though I'm not sure I wanna hear her answer._

_But she doesn't say anything. She just keeps sobbing silently. Why won't she say anything ? It's even worse than when she calls me names. It's even worse than when she tries to smack me with her mallet. _

_« Why... »_

_Her voice seems so fragile and distant right now, I have to prick up my ears to be able to hear her._

_« Why would you do that ? Why would you let this happen ? »_

_She slowly turns around and, struck by the pain I can read in her eyes, I let go of her arm. _

_« I... undressed in front of him » she says with a wince, « you knew that, but you let it happen »_

_« I... I didn't... »_

_I can hardly say anything. I can hardly breathe. It feels like I've been punched in the stomach. _

_Think fast, I need to think fast. _

_« I've tried to tell you... so many times, but you just wouldn't listen ! » I end up shouting at her._

_« Oh so now it's my fault ! » she shouts back._

_« I... I'm just saying that none of this would've happened if you'd paid a little more attention, you always hit me before I can even explain anything ! »_

_« That's because you're a jerk ! » she says, and starts running again._

_« Akane, stop ! You don't even know where you're goin' ! » I yell, running after her._

_She suddenly stops running, and turns back at me. She's crying._

_« What is the "important" thing you needed to tell me Ranma ? »_

_« Wh...what ? »_

_« The letter. The letter you wrote before you left with Ryoga ! »_

_« I... I... »_

_I just don't know what to say. Why did she have to bring this up now ? _

_I can't tell her now, I just **can't**. _

_She hates me, she'll reject me. _

_I need to figure a way out of this. _

_WHAT TOOK ME TO WRITE HER A LETTER ANYWAY ?!_

_« Is it... some kind of joke ? » she asks, crying unashamedly now. « Did you wanna make fun of me ? »_

_« No ! Of course not » I reply._

_Seeing a girl cry has always disconcerted me. But seeing Akane cry is unbearable._

_« Stop crying » I dare say, « please »_

_She ignores me._

_« If you have something to say, man up and say it ! »_

_I know I have to say it. I know it's now or never, but once again, the words remain stuck in my throat._

_The truth is, I'm incapable of telling Akane that I care about her. I'm incapable of telling Akane that she's the most important person in my life. I'm incapable of telling Akane that I** love her**._

_« That's what I thought... » she says, nodding._

_And then she turns back._

_« Wait ! » I cry, holding her arm before she can run away again._

_« DON'T touch me ! » she shouts, pushing her arm away._

_..._

_..._

_..._

_..._

_« I'm going home » she says after a while. « Don't follow me Ranma, I don't want to see you anymore. »_

_And before I can reply anything, she adds : _

_« The engagement is over »_

_**-- **_

_**Ok. Sorry if you dislike cliffhangers, but that's how I work . **_

_**This chapter's definately the longest and the darkest one I have written so far, but all I have to say is : review, ask your questions if you have any, and most importantly... stay tuned.**_


	7. Dark thoughts

_**While reading this chapter, you should listen to : **_

_**« A song of storm and fire » and « Voices silently sing » from the Tsubasa Chronicles.**_

**--**

Ranma held emotionless eyes as he secretly felt his heart shatter in a million pieces.

« Over... ? But you... we... »

« We're done » Akane interrupted him, her dark brown eyes glowing with tears. « You know... before the flood, in the tunnel, when Ryoga and I were alone... »

Ranma felt his heart stop. « Wh... what happened ? » he stammered.

« It's not what you think... » Akane replied, annoyed. « He opened himself to me, he asked me... well he was about to ask me to... marry him »

« Why are you telling me this, Akane ? » Ranma asked, puzzled and hurt.

« I was just thinking... if Ryoga, the shiest person I know, could open up like that, and let his feelings out, you would do too, you would... forget about your pride, forget about your ego and just... »

She stopped, trying to fight back the tears. She then looked Ranma in the eye.

« But now I realize I was wrong. »

With these words, she turned back and started walking away. The pigtailed boy suddenly felt the urge to hold her back, to tell her the truth, to reassure her about his feelings for her, to apologize until his face was blue... but a voice in his head forbade him to, telling him it was already too late.

« How are you gonna get back home ? » Ranma asked with a strange voice.

« I'll find a way. I've got some money »

He stood still, watching his now ex-fiancée walk away from him.

**--**

Hours later, Ranma was still at the same place, punching a tree trunk every so often. Akane's words kept replaying in his mind like a poisonous litany.

_**DON'T touch me !**_

_**The engagement is over.**_

_**We're done.**_

« NOOOOOOOOOOOO !! » Ranma screamed, bisecting a tree with his fist.

His voice echoed throughout the dark forest. The next sound was the one caused by the tree that hit the ground in a loud and cracking noise. Ranma looked at his fist. It was covered in blood, but he didn't feel any pain.

The rain chose this moment to start pouring down. Turning into a girl suddenly reminded Ranma the reason why he had come here in the first place.

To reverse his curse.

Why didn't it seem so important now ?

_I deserve this curse, _Ranma thought, _I have no honor... I betrayed the person I respected and loved most... she will never forgive me._

_I screwed up, _he thought, laughing out loud like a mad man, _I screwed up..._

_Akane... I'm sorry, I'll make it up to you, I promise... I'll find a way to preserve your honor._

_..._

_**Short chapter, I know, but this is an important moment of the story and I wanted to make it special. **_

_**To be continued...**_


	8. Ranma, where are you ?

_To SUSU : I truly believe that Ranma respects Akane, in a way that he'll never let anyone hurt her, and he'll never hurt her himself either (well except with words, but that's because he's clumsy in love :p)_

_By the way, this chapter is the second to last..._

**--**

**Jusenkyo Springs, 08:20 A.M**

« Honored guests can now use springs, everything back to normal ! » the Jusenkyo Guide said happily, waking up Ukyo, Shampoo and Mousse.

They all looked at each other, hesitant. After the incident with Akane, the three of them had decided to spend the night at Jusenkyo, waiting for the springs to become effective again, but also for Ranma and Ryoga to come back.

« I... I think you should wait for Ranma, he's the one who's had his curse for the longest time, he deserves to be the one to reverse it before anyone else » Ukyo spoke.

Shampoo nodded in agreement.

« Not go without Airen »

« Why wait for this insignificant lout ? » Mousse replied « Shampoo, let us go and change ourselves back, once and for all ! Then we can... »

« We find Ranma » Shampoo declared, ignoring Mousse.

« How ? He's been gone since yesterday... since Akane... I don't know what happened between the two of them but I have a bad, bad feeling... » Ukyo said, shivering.

« Maybe I can help » a voice suddenly said behind them.

« Ryoga ! » they all exclaimed.

« And how can pigboy help ? » Shampoo frowned.

« I've seen him on my way back here earlier, while still in my cursed form. He didn't seem his usual self »

« Where was he going ? Why didn't you follow him ?! » Ukyo yelled.

« I thought he'd just deliberately ignored me, so I squealed to catch his attention, but he just passed me by... » Ryoga explained.

« That doesn't mean... that doesn't mean anything » Ukyo tried to reassure herself.

« There's more » the pig-boy declared, « he kept mumbling something about honor and how he'd screwed everything up. »

He bent his head and added : « Ranma... has always followed every martial commandment word for word. He'll probably do what it takes to... avenge his honor »

Ukyo's face turned pale. « You don't think he would... »

« Seppuku ? » Shampoo asked, familiar with the japanese tradition that she had seen practiced herself at the Amazon village, when a woman was beaten by a man and chose death over consenting to marry him.

« We have to find him » Ukyo whispered, her right hand covering her mouth, « we **have** to find him, come on people move !! »

**Three days later, Nerima, Tendo House**

After three whole days of total isolation from the outside world, Tendo Akane finally emerged from her room.

Nothing showed that she had been crying, apart from her still-a-bit red eyes. She had put on a yellow summer dress and her dark hair was hanging down on her shoulders.

« Good morning, Oneechan » Akane said, walking into the kitchen where her big sister was preparing lunch.

« Oh my ! » Kasumi exclaimed, almost dropping the pan she was holding in her hand. « Akane... are you alright ? »

Akane laughed. It was a bittersweet laugh, even though she tried hard to make it sound cheerful. « I'm fine, everything's just fine » she assured.

When Akane had gotten back home on her own, everybody had wondered about what had happened in China, but none of them had dared to ask questions, not even Nabiki. The only thing they knew was that it obviously involved her husband-to-be, Ranma.

« I'm gonna strangle him ! I'm gonna kill that unworthy son ! » Genma had thundered.

Soun had kept sobbing about how powerless he was, faced with his beloved daughter's situation. Kasumi had brought all her meals to Akane's room, every time with a little note of comfort. As for Nabiki, she hadn't spoken a word about her little sister or her fiancée, but anyone could see that she was affected by the situation as well. Everytime she would see something belonging to Ranma in the house, she would utter a curse under her breath and put it away immediately. The Ice-Queen wasn't so cold-hearted after all.

« I was just about to call everybody for lunch... do you want me to give you your meal so that you can eat in your room ? »

« No, I'll eat with you all, as usual » Akane replied, shaking her head.

Kasumi looked concerned. « You don't have to pretend everything's alright, little sister, we all know something happened between Ranma and you »

« How... how do you know ? » Akane wondered out loud.

« You only act like that... when you're hurt. And nobody's better at hurting you than Ranma, right ? »

Akane smiled. Her big sister reminded her so much of their mother, she could see right through people.

She shook her head : « I don't wanna talk about it. I just wanna move on, please. »

« Don't worry, Akane-chan, nobody'll annoy you with their questions » her big sister reassured her, patting her on the shoulder.

Soun suddenly appeared in the doorway, followed by Ranma's father in his panda form, and Nabiki.

« AKANEEE !! » Soun cried as soon as he saw his youngest daughter sitting in the kitchen, « Tell meeeeee !! Tell me what happened ! I was so worried about you, aaaaaaaaaahhh »

**--**

During lunch, Akane managed to elude everyone's questions by just saying they'd have to ask Ranma about it.

Now they were all strangely looking forward for Ranma to get back home.

The young girl spent the rest of the day training in the dojo. It was the only way she managed to keep all sorts of haunting thoughts out of her mind. It was the only way she could stop the bleeding of her heart for a little while.

« Kiyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa !! » she screamed, breaking five bricks at a time.

Exhausted, the young girl collapsed on the tatami, catching her breath. Suddenly, she heard voices coming from outside. She glanced out the window and felt her heart miss a beat.

Ukyo, Shampoo, Mousse and _Ryoga_ were out there, speaking to Kasumi, who was hanging out the laundry. Akane felt anger spread through her whole body. She still hadn't forgiven the pig-boy his betrayal, and could probably never face him again. Her face reddened with shame and humiliation everytime she thought about P-chan : she still couldn't believe she hadn't been able to figure out who he really was by herself.

She realized that they were about to enter the dojo when she heard footsteps approaching. Quickly, she jumped into the closet where Kasumi kept all the cleaning products, the vacuum cleaner and the brooms. The same closet she had once dragged Ranma into, so that his mother wouldn't see him. _Not the moment to think about that..._ she scolded herself.

The footsteps came closer and Akane heard the door open.

« Ah ? I was sure I could _hear_ her training just a moment ago, before you came » her sister's voice said. « She might be in her room, or in the bathroom taking a bath... I'm gonna go check »

Kasumi left the dojo, leaving the four visitors behind herself. Immediately, they started whispering fretfully.

« ... I insist that we should wait a few more days... it'd be stupid to alarm her for nothing » Mousse said.

« Maybe need time for think after the way violent girl treat him » Shampoo's high-pitched voice replied.

Akane held her breath. They were talking about Ranma.

All of a sudden, it struck her. Where **was** Ranma ? How come he hadn't gotten back home yet ? How come he wasn't with the others ?

« Well we don't know what happened between the two of them, that's the problem » Ukyo's voice said, « but she has to know that something might've happened to him, and not only her, we're gonna have to tell the whole family too that Ranma's been missing »

_**Ranma's been missing.**_

That sentence kept repeating itself in Akane's mind over and over again, until she heard Kasumi get back in the dojo and tell everyone that she was nowhere to be found.

« She must've gone out for her evening jogging. I'll tell her you passed by »

« Thank you, sorry for any disturbance »

« Before you leave » Kasumi began, « Hibiki-san... you're the one who left with Ranma a week ago, do you think he'll get back home soon ? »

...

« Uhm, yeah, I'm pretty sure he's on his way home right now » Ryoga responded.

_Liar_, Akane thought angrily.

« Akane was very upset when she got back home... do you know what happened between her and Ranma ? »

« Not really, that's what we would like to know » Ukyo responded.

Akane waited a minute after they left the dojo before getting out of the closet. Her heart was still pounding in her chest. _Ranma... where are you ?_

**--**

The next two days were very important for all Japanese high-school students : they had to take their university placement tests. Akane mainly aimed for Todai, the most reputable university in all Japan. Nabiki was currently studying economics there, but she had struggled to get in, and nearly hadn't made it. She had tried to reassure her little sister, a few months ago, when Akane had had her nervous breakdown caused by school pressure.

« You'll see little sister, once you're in, it all becomes easier, it's just hard to actually pass the tests »

But lately, Akane had completely forgotten about the tests. So much that she didn't even set her alarm clock for the next morning. It was Kasumi who woke her up in a hurry.

« Todai tests ? » Akane asked with a sleepy voice, and then with a much louder voice : « TODAI TESTS ARE TODAY ?! »

« And tomorrow... » Kasumi responded.

Akane jumped out of her bed.

« But I'm not ready ! I haven't even... I don't even... GOD WHERE ARE MY CLOTHES ?! »

« Calm down Akane-chan, you've been working hard these last two years, I'm sure it'll be alright »

But it wasn't alright.

Akane spent the whole day ticking boxes at random. She had no idea what the questions were about, it was like her brain had erased everything she had learned these past two years.

The next day, after the last tests, Akane collapsed in her room, tears flowing down her cheeks. _How could this have happened to me ? I was ready, I've always been ready... What am I gonna do ?_

All of her plans were falling apart. Studying at Todai, becoming a teacher while also teaching martial arts, marrying Ranma...

_Ranma no baka ! All that is because of you... _

A part of her truly hated him for what he had done to her, and all the trouble he had caused in her life, but another part - the part that had been there since the first day they'd met - missed him excruciatingly and was afraid that something might have happened to him...

**--**

The next day, after school, Ukyo told Akane the truth.

« Ranma never came back after you found out about Ryoga's curse. We've looked for him everywhere near Jusenkyo - but we failed to find him... »

« But where could he be ? Why would he stay in China ? » Akane queried.

« That, we don't know, but... may I ask you what happened after the... incident, with Ryoga ? »

Akane bent her head. « Well, Ranma and I... got into this awful fight, and I... ended up telling him the engagement was over, that **we** were over »

Her dark eyes filled up with tears at that thought. She so wished she could take those words back, those words that she hadn't meant the least bit, those words that had slipped out of her mouth and had made everything worse...

« Oh no... » Ukyo whispered « Akane... Ranma was shattered after you left him – Ryoga saw him – we thought he might... »

The long-haired cook covered her face with her hands and started sobbing. Which was _very_ unlike herself.

« You thought he might what... ? » Akane queried, her heart pounding in her chest.

« We thought he might commit seppuku »

Akane's face turned pale, and suddenly, - despite herself -, she burst into laughter.

« You're joking, right ? »

« How can you laugh at this ? I thought you cared about Ranma ! »

« Come on... Ranma, killing himself ? That's... that's just not... like him »

Akane stopped laughing. It **wasn't** like him, right ? Okay, he had lied to her, one could even say that he had betrayed her in many ways - and she had called off their engagement - but killing himself ?

It was simply inconceivable.

« No... no he wouldn't ! »

_Or... would he ?_

_**--**_

_**Ranma will be back in the next – and last – chapter, but alive or not, I don't know yet...**_

_**Review! and stay tuned for the next update.**_

_**Thank you for reading, it means a lot to me.**_


	9. Heart to Heart

**Furinkan High School, 9:15 A.M **

« ... Miss Tendo might know the answer to that question... Miss Tendo ? »

Akane was sound asleep, her arms spread over her table with her head in the middle.

« Miss Tendo ! » the teacher called with an angry tone.

Akane lifted up her head, startled. A few students in the class started laughing.

« Sorry... I—I didn't sleep well last night »

The look on the teacher's face softened a bit. « It is the third time this week, I'm very concerned about you Miss Tendo »

That was the end of his moment of compassion.

« Now this might help you stay awake » he said, handing her a bucket of water. « Ten minutes in the hall. »

Akane went straight to bed after school on that day. She hoped she could get a bit more sleep than the previous nights, but as soon as her eyes closed, the same nightmare she had been having every night since her conversation with Ukyo took over her mind.

It always started with her and Ranma sparring together in the dojo. Suddenly, Ranma would collapse on the floor, his eyes wide and his mouth open. Akane would kneel down and ask what was happening. Ranma would put his hands on his stomach and look at them in horror.

They were covered in blood.

Then he would gaze upon her with the same shattered expression that had clouded over his face when she had told him the engagement was over, and he would whisper her name over and over again, until his eyes closed shut and he stopped breathing. At that point, Akane would realize her own hands were holding something, a katana, which was covered in blood.

_Ranma's blood._

« NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO !! I didn't ! I didn't kill him ! »

As usual, Akane's scream woke everybody up in the Tendo house and Kasumi rushed into her room and held her tight until she calmed down.

« It's alright little sister, it's alright »

« I killed him Kasumi ! He's never coming back, he's never coming back... »

« He is... just give him some time. Now Akane... tell me what happened between the two of you please »

Akane's big dark eyes met her sister's grey ones. She didn't want to relive what had happened, she didn't even wanna think about it, but her sister seemed so concerned and serious that Akane took a deep breath and told her the whole story. When she was finished, Kasumi looked away with a severe expression.

« I can't believe that Hibiki boy betrayed you like that, if I had known, I never would have let him enter this house and... »

« Oneechan » Akane interrupted her sister. « What should I do... ? »

« Akane-chan »

« Y—Yes ? »

« Do you love Ranma ? »

Akane's heart skipped a beat. « Heeeeh ? Wh—why are you asking me this ? »

« Do you love him ? » Kasumi repeated.

The youngest sister felt her face redden with embarrassment.

« I—I don't know what you're... I mean—why would I love such an insensible, irresponsible jerk like him—I'm just, I'm just worried that's all » she said in one breath.

« Could you imagine your life without him ? »

Akane's face was now bright red and burning hot, and she tried to hide it by burrowing under her blankets.

« No » she said, once she was sure her big sister couldn't see the effort it had taken her to say this out loud.

A smile was stretched on Kasumi's lips when she said : « I asked him the same question once, and he gave me the same answer. Trust me, he'll be back »

**--**

Strangely, hearing it from her sister helped Akane believe it, and she stopped having nightmares every night. She even managed to get excited about her upcoming birthday. « Let's not make a big fuss out of it... » Akane insisted, and the three Tendo sisters spent the day together. They went to see a movie at the cinema, ate an ice cream (courtesy of Nabiki) and finally got back home to share a delicious meal with their father and Ranma's father. Nobody mentioned Ranma at all on that day, which helped Akane not to think about him, as long as she was busy thinking about other things. But as soon as everybody went to sleep and she found herself alone in her room, sadness and anger overwhelmed her.

« That idiot didn't even bother to come back... today » she muttered to herself, while gazing at the stars from the little balcony adjacent to her room.

_Why would he_, a little voice in her head replied, _he never even cared about me..._

« Though, even if he **was** there, I'm sure he wouldn't even bother wishing me a happy birthday » she added, gritting her teeth.

As the blowing wind sent a shiver down her spine and she was walking towards the window to get back to her room, Akane felt a hand land on her shoulder.

« Happy birthday » a voice whispered behind her.

Startled, the young girl shrieked, grasped the stranger's hand, pulled on it as hard as she could and had him fly over her head and crash against the wooden floor of the balcony. The latter—which hadn't been properly fixed since the incident with Nabiki— collapsed under the shock and they both landed flat on their backs on the ground.

« Damn... Still as violent as ever, I see... » Ranma muttered, rubbing his back.

« What... what took you to creep up on me like that you idiot ?! » Akane yelled, turning her head to face her ex-fiancé.

Their eyes met.

« Ranma... ? »

« Akane I... »

The young man looked down for a moment, catching his breath. Akane stood still, unable to tear her gaze away from him. She was too afraid that he'd disappear if she looked away for one second.

« I need to talk to you » he finally said with a sigh.

« Let's go inside the dojo before anyone sees you here » Akane said, standing up.

Ranma closed the door of the dojo, and before he understood what was happening, Akane was kicking him in the crotch. He groaned in pain and fell on his knees. When he was able to speak again, he said with a higher voice than usual :

« What was **that** for ?! »

« And he dares ask ! » Akane yelled, leaping through the air at him, her right foot ready for another kick.

But this time, Ranma saw it coming and dove away before her foot landed on him. Akane just had the time to break her fall with her arms.

« Will you just stand still and take it like a man ?! » the young girl burst out, flames dancing in her eyes.

« Why are you trying to hit me ? I haven't said anything yet ! »

« That's the problem ! You're not saying anything ! » Akane shouted, and tried to hit him with her fists.

Ranma caught her right fist right before it reached his face and dodged the other punch by sliding his head to the side. Akane growled and tried to free her captive hand with her other arm but Ranma grabbed it and twisted it up behind her back.

« Let go ! » the young girl shrilled, as she hurt herself trying to break his grip. That failed attempt only resulted in Ranma pushing her against the wall, and pinning her hands above her head. His chest was now softly pressed against her bosom, and she could feel his heart beating as fast as her own.

« Listen to me ! » Ranma ordered and waited until she looked up into his eyes « I'm—I'm sorry... »

« What... ? »

« I'm sorry that you're too stubborn to let me speak ! » Ranma said and Akane scowled at him, but didn't move « I'm sorry that I didn't tell you about Ryoga... I'm sorry that I didn't have the balls to tell you the truth about the letter » he continued and as he spoke, he slowly released Akane's arms, until his hands rested on her shoulders « Because the truth is... I was too scared you'd reject me after what had happened with the pig-boy »

« Then what was it all ab... » Akane began, but Ranma put his index on her lips before she could finish her sentence.

« I'm not done with the apologizing yet » he murmured with a hoarse voice that sent shivers down Akane's spine. « I'm sorry that I didn't try to hold you back when you said the engagement was over, and I'm sorry that I... wasn't able to tell you these things before tonight » His shaking hands slowly slid down Akane's back until they reached her slender waist « And... »

Akane's breath grew ragged as she saw Ranma's head leaning forward, so that their burning faces were now only separated by a few millimeters.

« What are you doin... » the young girl protested with a shriek that was muffled by Ranma's warm lips suddenly pressing onto hers.

Her eyes wide open with surprise, she struggled to shove him away but he pulled her closer and deepened the kiss.

Akane thought her chest was going to explode. How_ dare_ he kiss her ? Like _that _? Before she knew it, her own mouth was responding to the kiss, her lips slightly opening, her tongue searching for his. The young girl knew she was giving in, but it felt too good to stop now. It felt nothing like the first time they had kissed—by accident—when Ranma was in his neko-ken state. It was a thousand times more intense. Extreme. Passionate.

It almost hurt when Ranma loosened his embrace and softly broke the kiss. They stood still for a moment, panting.

«... I'm sorry I... never dared to do this before » he whispered in her ear.

Akane was amazed. Everything she had ever wanted him to do_, _he had done. Everything she had ever wanted to hear, he had said. Well, _almost_ everything...

« Ranma... Do you love me ? » she asked, looking up into his blue eyes.

Ranma took a deep breath. He knew it was coming. He knew he would have to say these three simple words, that would change everything for ever, that would make everything better... or worse. But it was out of the question to deny it any longer.

« Since the very first day... » he admitted, his voice trembling a bit « Akane...I love you, I always have »

Akane's eyes filled up with tears. Finally, finally he was admitting it.

Ranma's heart was still thumping in his chest. He had said it. He realized with a shiver that he couldn't back out anymore, pretend that he didn't mean it, claim that he was out of his mind or under some magic spell when he said it. He had opened his heart to her, and he was left bare-naked. More than ever, he wanted to know if everything he felt for her was mutual.

« D—do you... ? » he queried, his face turning bright red.

Akane chuckled. « Of course I love you, baka ! »

Ranma savored this moment for a few seconds, smirking from ear to ear, before asking : « Then why did you call off the engagement ? »

« Because... I was hurt, and upset, and I wanted to hurt you as much as you had hurt me » the young girl explained.

« Are you still mad at me ? »

« After all that apologizing ? How could I ? »

They both laughed, still standing in an embrace position. Akane felt like kissing him again, but she resisted the urge. There were still a few things that needed to be explained first.

« Where did you go after we argued ? Why didn't you come back home before today ? Some of us even thought you were dead ! »

Ranma frowned. « Some of you ? Did _you_ think I was dead ? »

« Well I—I was afraid you might do something stupid... Ukyo and the others told me you never joined them after our fight, they didn't know where you'd gone. They waited for you, they didn't want to reverse their curses without you, but you never came, so they never did... »

« Man... I'd completely forgotten about them, all I could think about was how I'd screwed everything up with you, and how you would never forgive me for that... » he paused, before adding : « And I've done some serious thinking too... It took me days to figure out what I really want, out of life I mean, but now I know »

« And... what is it ? » Akane asked apprenhensively.

Ranma looked at her, with hungry-looking eyes « I wanna spend the rest of my life with you, I want to marry you, and take over the dojo, with you. »

Akane felt herself blushing from the top of her head to the tip of her toes.

« If... that's okay with you, of course » he added with a timid smile.

« It is » Akane smiled back. « It's more than okay »

« Hell, if Pop knew that everything he planned for me was actually what I really want... » the young man said for himself, jokingly.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, an idea popped in Akane's mind.

« Ranma, let's go » she said in a barely audible voice.

Ranma frowned, puzzled. « Let's go... where ? »

« Away, just you and me » the young girl heard herself say « Let's go on a—on a training trip, I want you to make me as strong as you »

Ranma chuckled. « As strong as me ? I'm the best of all martial artists, you'll never be able to get to **my** level ! » That's what he would have said if the situation had been different. But looking at the hope in his fiancée's eyes, he regained his composure and thought better of it. « You're serious ? You want to leave, now ? »

The young girl nodded her head up and down enthusiastically.

« But what about your family, school ? »

« School's out of the question... I totally failed Todai placement tests » Akane admitted, shaking her head in a slow motion.

« Well, what about your dad and your sisters then ? » Ranma reminded her.

« I'll write them a note, and it's not like we're going forever ! Believe me, they'll be happy to know that we ran away _together_... »

As the idea was becoming a plan, the two teenagers felt the adrenaline rush through their bodies.

« You—you really wanna do this ? » Ranma queried.

Once again, Akane nodded with no hesitation : « More than anything »

And then they kissed passionately, hungrily, as if they couldn't get enough of each other, a bit clumsily as well, but it didn't matter, because they knew they were gonna have plenty of time to practice...

**The next day - Tendo kitchen, 9 A.M**

**Kasumi **: Oh my !

_SMASH !_

_..._

_SHUFFLESHUFFLESHUFFLE_

**Nabiki **: Kasumi what's going on ?

**Kasumi** : On... on the table...

_CRUMPLE_

...

**Nabiki** : Maaaaaaaaan ! Are those two really gone ? Together ?!

**Soun** : Who is gone ? Where ?

**Nabiki **:Akane and Ranma eloped.

**Soun** : WHAAT ?! My baby girl ! Where's my baby giiiiiirl !!

_SOBSOBSOB_

**Genma** : Tendo-kun ! You know what that means ! They've finally accepted their engagement ! They're going to take over the dojo ! Our future is assured ! Ahahahahahaha !!

**Soun** : Saaaoootooomee-kuuun !!

_SNIFFSNIFF_

**Kasumi** : Maybe we should try and find them, it's not correct for two fiancés to spend time together alone before marriage...

**Nabiki** : Yeah, what if Akane gets pregnant ?

...

**Genma **: Granchildren ! We're gonna have grandchildren ! That's wonderful ! Dance with me Tendo-kun !

**Soun** : Bwaaaaaaahaha ! I'm gonna be a grandpa !

_SOBSOBSOB_

**Nabiki** : Oi Kasumi, what's that ring around your finger ?

...

**Kasumi** : This might not be the greatest moment to tell you this but... Tofu-sensei has asked me to marry him, and I said yes !

_THUMP !_

**Kasumi** : Daddy, are you alright ? Oh my... seems like he's passed out...

**THE END**

_**Well there you go, that's the end of my first fanfiction ever "Man up and say it", I hope you enjoyed reading it, I know I enjoyed writing it, especially this last chapter !! **_

_**Don't forget to REVIEW ! It's the best reward I can get for all the hard work I put into this story ! I don't know if I will write a sequel yet, but I might someday so stay tuned ! I might also write other stories, but probably shorter than this one, unless I come up with a gr-amazing idea !**_

_**Ja, mata ne !**_

**--**

_Music I listened to while writing this chapter : _

_- Far away (Staind)_

_- With me (Sum 41)_

_- You are my love (Sakura version)_

_- Near to you (A Fine Frenzy)_

_- Yurameku Kimochi - Tsukushi - Planetarium (from the Hana Yori Dango original soundtrack)_


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